AllOut confirmed that hackers had managed to automatically add between 3000 and 5000 signatures to the online petition.

An update on the petition page insisted that AllOut has had no contact with EA regarding the campaign and that it's currently looking into the source of the spam.

It's also working to remove the offending signatures and insists that it has managed to pull in over 60,000 genuine supporters.

"Electronic Arts customers are speaking out loud and clear: being for equality is good for business," commented AllOut executive director Andre Banks.

"Groups like the Family Research Council are truly on the 'dark side' - they put pressure on companies like EA to block fair, balanced portrayals of gay characters in gaming and other media. You don't have to be a gamer to understand that it makes a real difference for Electronic Arts to present positive portrayals of gays and lesbians to its community of 100 million players.

"We are not arguing that Electronic Arts is a perfect company, but we know that today, on this issue, they are taking an important stand that should be celebrated and supported."